Yes, we grew and grew – until the Covid-19 pandemic slowed us down. Like many others, we faced challenges, but we emerged relatively unscathed. Our services became essential, ensuring our clients’ businesses remained operational for the benefit of all. Post-pandemic, we recovered quickly, and in 2022, we proudly transferred to Bursa Malaysia’s Main Market – a milestone achievement that reflected our resilience and continued growth.

When we were riding the wave of cheque technology, the last thing we wanted to hear was that the central bank intended to discourage its use! Once again, it was a choice: adapt or be left behind. After much brainstorming, we concluded that cash was still king – or rather, cash recycling was king. We partnered with a Japanese firm that was a global leader in cash recycling ATM technology. At the time, Malaysia’s banks used two separate machines: one for ATM withdrawals and another for deposits. We developed an application from scratch that could connect these separate systems – and voilà! a new cash recycling market was born.

After that major success, we listed our company on Mesdaq (now known as the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia) to raise funds for business expansion. We then began developing bill payment kiosks that allowed non-banking organisations – including utility, insurance, and telecommunications companies – to automate their bill payment collections. At the same time, we built a paperless, image-based cheque truncation system, using front-end scanner devices and software applications to capture cheque images and data at bank branches before sending them directly to the central bank for straight-through clearing and settlement. It was technical, complex – and incredibly exciting.

Undaunted by piracy, we pressed on. One of our key strengths was our ability to design, develop, roll out, and market our own software. We started creating more complex applications, beginning with insurance apps to help users renew motor insurance and process personal claims – our first major commercial success!

Starting small with just 10 people, we truly believed that the quality of staff would always triumph over quantity. Our first major project arrived soon after – providing software support for a large American multinational supplying ATMs and POS equipment to banks and retailers.